Is anyone else sick of people referring to the 90's as the golden age of hurling with clare and wexford breaking through and limerick making two finals without ever mentioning Offaly's two All-Irelands as well as making the 95 final. People seem to think that Offaly are regular champions like kilkenny and cork but these were only Offaly's third and fourth All-Irelands.

Surely Offaly are the team of the nineties????

eden (Offaly) - Posts: 20 - 12/01/2009 11:54:48    178205

Who?

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 12/01/2009 12:03:18    178227

Fantastic team - the Dooleys, Pilkinghtons, Whealans. One of the most skillful hurling sides ever. Were a bit lucky in 98 to get a replay though.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4678 - 12/01/2009 12:24:36    178260

Only jokin!....I agree with the monkey!
Throw Jim Troy into the mix as well!....Fantastic!

Deffo the most skillful team i have ever seen (that includes KK today)! They were lightening quick on the first touch!

I have always regarded Offaly as the most skillful hurlers on balance!

Regards,

Snufalufagus.....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 12/01/2009 12:41:27    178278

Agree totally. Fantastic team, could never understand why they hardly got a mention. Johnny Pilkington was a legend.

eddieros (Roscommon) - Posts: 43 - 12/01/2009 12:47:53    178287

My fav team of that decade
Their performance against Cork in 2000 was outstanding and my personal favorite - a bunch of auld fellas not given a chance who end up battering a bunch of young upstarts who had just won Liam the year before.

holymoly (Dublin) - Posts: 757 - 12/01/2009 12:57:47    178300

You have a fair point there sir, Offaly should ALSO be mentioned in the 90's, had a fantastic team and you are quite right people often do forget that they had not done much before. BUT TO SAY THEY WERE THE TEAM OF THE 90'S ISNT RIGHT......for me it would have to be CLARE....Fantastic in the 90's and came from nowhere. Now Offaly were great but Clare were better....you have rolled off grat names but you could do that with the Clare boys too, Jamsie, Doyle, Daly, Baker, Lynch, Lohans, Fitzgerald etc.....also you should only have won the one all ireland. 98 was wrong, not here to argue the ins and outs of it, BUT THAT WAS NEVER YOU ALL IRELAND.....clare were robbed of that...so for me it would be Clare, Offaly and Wexford in that order.

IrishRover (Fermanagh) - Posts: 488 - 12/01/2009 13:00:24    178304

Jim Troy the Goalie?? Don't think he was there in the 90's when they won the All Irelands. Surely that has to be John Troy?

Tribesman28 (Galway) - Posts: 176 - 12/01/2009 13:42:20    178344

Late Late Show Special?

Lads what did ye think of the show?
In my opinion, it was entertaining in the fact that it was Gaa related but that very little imagination went into the whole thing.

I have total respect for the whole Dublin Kerry rivalry, but this was a pure love in again, we are all well familiar with this.
No clip goin back in the past bar the few favourite ones, from the Gaa Legend Pat & those even greater legends, Eileen Dunne & Brush Shields!
No great look back at how the weaker counties have contributed to the GAA, no look at the great games played outside Croker, the magic of Thurles, or Munster final day in Cork.
Very little focus on hurling, all football.
To open the show with Bertie, fair enough, but Dunphy!!!????
Also a classic moment when Spillane and Shields were talking about the adrenalin and the feeling of walking on air when you entered Croker or ran out on the pitch, and Kenny jumps in to tell us about how he experienced that exact same feeling when he passed an exam once that he had expected to fail!!!!
No twas a poor attempt, and Des Cahill crowned it all, with him blubbering on about nothing near the end!
No imagination, twas vintage RTE, or am I wrong?

curious George (Offaly) - Posts: 861 - 12/01/2009 13:53:14    178352

Offaly don't get a mention because they won titles in the 80's so therefore they didn't make a "breakthrough" in the '90s. Wexford and Clare had massive gaps since they won it. Nobody says Offaly didn't have a great team...they were involved in the most exciting matches in the late '90s...

Ar.an.talamh (Kildare) - Posts: 320 - 12/01/2009 13:58:01    178358

Truly an amazing team, replete with fantastic hurlers including one of the greatest ever in Brian Whelehan. Probably one of the most naturally talented teams ever to grace Croke Park.

The original point however is valid in that the Offaly team of the 90's does not get enough credit. Offaly were a true hurling force from 1994-2000 inclusive, that is 7 years. During this time they reached four All-Ireland finals (1994, 1995, 1998, 2000) and annexed two All-Ireland titles (1994 and 1998). Of these years, in every year except 1997, Offaly either won the All-Ireland or lost to the eventual champions. This was all acheived with virtually the same team.

Compare this to Clare who were operated at the top of the game from 1995-1998, a period 4 years. They reached two All-Irealnd deciders (1995 and 1997), winning both. These two titles bookend a poor year in 1996 in which they lost to Limerinck in the first round of the Munster championship.

And finally to Wexford who won the All-Irealnd title in 1996. They did reach the All-Irealnd semi-final in 1997 but that was about it.

The continued media bias to this day when referring to the Clare and Wexford teams (but particularly Clare) of the 90's is something that grates with me. Obsevation of the facts show that Offaly were the equally if not more successful and were certaintly more consistent. Added to this is the fact that while Clare may have been fitter and stronger, Offaly were the more skillful and stylish team.

Vector (Offaly) - Posts: 20 - 12/01/2009 14:15:02    178370

Offaly are were handed an All-Ireland in 1998. However the Whelahans, the Dooleys, the Pilkingtons and players like Kinehan, Rigney, Hanamy, Martin, Troy and Duignan were amongst the best of their generation. They were just unfortunate to be around at the same time as the best hurling team of all time.

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 12/01/2009 15:13:55    178437

I remember there was a song out at the time...... that's Joe Dooley to the tune of "that's amori".....class!

northpole (Derry) - Posts: 739 - 12/01/2009 15:22:17    178448

Irish rover clare would not have beaten that kilkenny team in the final if they had got there....

In response to one of the other posts i think jim troy was goalie in 94 and john troy centre forward....

eden (Offaly) - Posts: 20 - 12/01/2009 15:25:56    178452

Yep, Jim in Goals with the red hair in 94 and john was outfield till 98.

Regards,

Snufalufagus....Laochra Gael

Snufalufagus (Dublin) - Posts: 8100 - 12/01/2009 15:41:07    178463

John Troy was a class hurler. Absolutely gifted.
Some of the match-ups between him and Brian Corcoran were hurling at its best.
All in all a great team. Beating Cork in the A-I semi final ( 2001? )was an epic.
Probably their swan-song.

RAM85 (Westmeath) - Posts: 978 - 12/01/2009 15:45:21    178469

Yep John and Jim T played for the small village of Lusmagh. I remember hearing a story about when they won their one and only senior county title in 1989 everyone arrived back in the village and literally dumped their cars - you couldn't get through the street and thats the way it stayed until the two pubs were drank dry!

JayoCluxton (Dublin) - Posts: 2688 - 12/01/2009 16:02:53    178496

Offaly of the 90's are the most skilful team thats ever played hurling in my opinion. They had awesome hurlers all over the pitch. They beat the fitness and physicality of Wexford and Clare with pure hurling. Just proves that nobody can hurl with Kilkenny these days, and the fact that they are the fittest team by a mile means they beat everyone very handily.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2592 - 12/01/2009 16:37:19    178552

Offaly did have a bit of luck in 98 but people tend to forget they had the first game one until the ref gave a free against Hubert Rigney for using his hurl to protect the ball. If anythin it was a free out, so the second game was just things evening out.. the 3rd game no one can deny the better team one.. and also 95 Clare were trailing for most of the game until the late goal so some might say they were lucky.... However not for a second am i saying Clare were lucky I believe they deserved to win in 95 just like we did in 98

Tonrio (Offaly) - Posts: 54 - 12/01/2009 16:40:29    178556

Toss up between them or clare, probably give Clare the nod though (but Offaly were great none the less).

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 12/01/2009 17:34:46    178597